The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on the Chemistry of Supramolecules and Assemblies is designed to provide a forum for scientists-professors, students, postdocs, and industrial representatives-to learn about the latest developments in the field of self-assembly and supramolecular systems. The conference has been held every 2 years since 1989, and is one of over 200 conferences organized in 2013 by the GRC, an organization dedicated to fostering interaction between scientists from diverse disciplines, and providing a forum for the exchange of the most cutting- edge research in a collegial atmosphere. The 2013 GRC on the Chemistry of Supramolecules and Assemblies will be held on May 5-10, 2013 at the Les Diableries Conference Center in Les Diableries, Switzerland. The conference will feature leading researchers in a range of fields that study self-assembly and supramolecular systems, including: the fundamentals of self-assembly, dynamic dissipative systems, self-assembly across multiple length scales, biomimetic systems, computational modeling of self-assembly, and the application of self-assembly in medicine, energy, materials, and devices. There will be a particular focus on the application of self-assembly to solve important biomedical problems, including: drug delivery, biomaterials for regenerative medicine, devices for biosensing and manipulation, and the theory of dynamic self-assembled biological systems (e.g. the cytoskeleton or the no equilibrium behavior of cell populations). Speakers will cover organic, inorganic, polymeric, and biological materials, and the conference will aim to link the fundamental physicochemical properties of supramolecular structures to their use in practical applications. In addition, this conference will feature, for te first time in its history, a pre-conference Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), May 4-5, 2013, organized by postdoctoral researchers, with the theme Self-assembly: Fundamentals and Applications. This GRS will provide a unique forum for students and postdocs to present their work to their peers, engage in stimulating discussion, and forge partnerships and collaborations for their future careers. The GRS will also help prepare the attendees for the interactive environment of the GRC, and facilitate interactions with more senior researchers at the conference.